Coming Back

Welcome Home!

Welcome back to the United States and Skidmore College! How is it to be back? Are
you finding that coming home is more difficult than you anticipated, or have you made
the transition back with ease? Many students find that while it’s great to be reunited
with loved ones and hanging out in all the old comfortable places, they’re still feeling
a little off-center or out of place.

It could be that you’re finding your friends and family can’t relate to your experience
abroad or that you do not relate to your old friends. Perhaps it’s difficult to be
back in an American classroom and surrounded by American culture. No doubt Saratoga
Springs seems a tad boring after the excitement and novelty of Paris, Katmandu or
London. These feelings are quite normal. Re-entering your culture can be just as difficult
as adjusting to your host culture when you went abroad; for some students, it may
be even more challenging.

Even if you aren't feeling the malaise of re-entry, you still may be trying to figure
out how you can incorporate everything you've learned abroad into your life here.
This section is designed to help you “re-enter” the United States and Skidmore College
and move forward as a more internationalized person. Read on for information on everything
from surviving the perils of re-entry “shock” to working abroad and preparing your
resumé for the future.